My love affair with Sony 1" sensor cameras continues. As per my post in the RX10 IV thread I decided to trade in my RX10 II http://www.dvinfo.net/forum/sony-rx-cybershots-cx-series-camcorders/534658-sony-rx10-mk4-bridge-camera-super-zoom-w-1-chip-24-600mm-announced-2.html#post1945334 However instead of the RX100 V I decided to get the new RX100 VI as Wex had an open box offer for sale at £999 (£150 off regular price). This camera has a new 24-200mm FF equivalent lens vs the 24-70mm FF equivalent of the earlier RX100 models. It loses a some light gathering as the aperture over the zoom range is smaller & starts from F/2.8 rather than the F/1.8 of the V but in an astonishing feat of engineering it's only 2mm thicker.

First impressions. The RX10 IV seemed bulky after I had been using the RX10 II for three years. In total contrast this camera seems really really tiny but as it's mostly metal it feels heavy for the size & reassuringly solid. It is of course an expensive point & shoot but my goodness the image quality is so good for both stills & 4K video not to mention all the other features like HFR & 24fps burst mode for stills. It has the amazing AF of the RX100V & RX10 IV plus a load of nifty upgrades like Bluetooth (finally) & a better designed EVF.

This camera fits in my pocket & takes stills & 4K video of amazing quality. The old saying is that the best camera is the one that you have with you & this one is more likely to be with me than my RX10 IV & much of the time the images are all but indistinguishable.

Nigel, nice report, an enjoyable read. A couple of questions if I may. Like you I am a fan of Sony’s 1” sensor as deployed in the AX100 with which I have a love hate relationship. I love the 4k quality and hate the almost useless EVF and LCD.

Are the ergonomics in that regard significantly improved so as to make the EVF and the LCD actually usable in very bright sunlight as we get in our almost ozone free South Pacific?

I have viewed footage online and I note a certain micro-jittering going on. I see this even in footage posted by a regular poster who generally makes hand-held look like tripod mounted. Is the image stabilization for hand-held shooting really robust?

Thanks

John, I used to own an AX100 which was what showed me the capabilities of the 1" sensor cameras & agree that the EVF & LCD screen were poor. The EVF on the RX100 VI is in a different league & identical to that on the RX10 IV. It's amazingly clear detailed & bright. I think that we can safely say that an EVF is now better than optical viewfinder on a DSLR. The EVF on the RX10 IV is easier to use in bright sunlight as it has a bit of an eye cup. As the EVF on the RX100 VI pops up out of the diminutive body there is no eye cup.

The screen is pretty bright. I'e only been using he RX100 VI for a couple of days but had no problem seeing the screen. We have had some unusually bright & sunny weather the last few weeks in the UK but now are back to rain & overcast skies more usual in aa British summer.

I've only shot a couple of video clips so far but didn't see any micro jitters when playing 4K footage in directly from the card in Quicktime Player on my MacBook Pro & AirPlaying to the AppleTV 4K connected to my 60" 1080p TV. Unlike the RX100 V here are no ND filters on the new model so perhaps you have seen some effects of a high shutter speed. The IS is reckoned to be improved on the new camera at least for stills.

The RX100 is an amazing pocket camera that shoots beautiful stills & amazing 4K video but there are limitations due to the size. There is no audio input. There are no built in ND filters & it's not even a threaded for a filter but there is a neat device called the MagFilter (Manfrotto have similar system called the Xume) that allows you to fix filters on. It is also really tiny which is great as it's always with you but makes stuff like manual focusing a bit challenging. The continuous AF is pretty good though. It could be a very nice camera to put on an electronic gimbal as the all up weight would be so light.

Nigel, many thanks for the detailed reply, most helpful indeed. The pocketability and high quality output are compelling however the lack of ND filters is a concern. Great for evening and overcast skies but not so good for midday blazingly-clear ocean-side shooting, I imagine.

Again, many thanks for the detailed response, much appreciated for sure.

Cheers…